..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Di Matteo hails Chelsea 'spirit' after last-gasp Shakhtar win

Roberto Di Matteo highlighted Chelsea's spirit after Victor Moses' last-minute header snatched a Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Willian's double had brought the Ukrainian side back into the game after Fernando Torres' fortunate effort and Oscar's incredible 45-yard strike but the Italian was understated when asked exactly what the Nigerian's late effort meant for the European champions.

"It means we get three points," Di Matteo told Sky Sports. "[It was] crucial for us to win this home game; it was always going to be a tough game to beat a side with little details.

"They showed again how good they are. It's probably going to go down to the last game, the last kick of it as well.

"The spirit the group showed again to just keep going to the end. We knew we probably needed to score a goal from a set-play at the end and we did so. It was good that Victor got on the end of the corner."

The Blues were made to sweat by Shakhtar, whose Brazilian stars shone at Stamford Bridge, but Di Matteo was satisfied with his team's efforts in defense as well as attack, adding: "In the first half we put them under pressure and that's how we scored the first goal and then we managed to go ahead again with good pressure.

"In the second half, after they equalized, we tried but they are a good side but probably didn't have as many chances as normal.

Oscar hit another stunning Champions League goal at the Bridge, to follow his equally impressive goal against Juventus, cutting out Andriy Pyatov's poor clearance and firing in a half-volley 45-yard effort, but his manager was not surprised by the stunning nature of the strike.

"[He showed] tremendous ability because it wasn't easy at all, he got the ball down on the half-volley, it was very difficult but he's a Brazilian international," Di Matteo remarked.

John Terry was only named on the substitutes' bench, with the Blues boss revealing before the game that the captain was lacking match fitness, but the 42-year-old insisted that his skipper will be back in the starting XI soon.

"He's a massive player for us," said the Italian. "We are glad that he's back available for us and he's going to be our leader going forward."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Celtic striker Watt: Scoring against Barcelona the best moment of my life

Celtic striker Tony Watt says that scoring in the 2-1 win over Barcelona in the Champions League was the best moment of his life, with his 83rd-minute strike ensuring victory.

The 18-year-old was making his competition debut against the Spanish giants on the club's 125th anniversary, and slotted past Victor Valdes for a goal that will seal his place in Celtic folklore.

The striker seemed dumbstruck after the game, stating that it had not sunk in yet, and would probably take a few hours to do so.

"I just saw Valdes, and I thought: 'Put it to the side of him', so I did," Watt told Sky Sports.

"This is probably the best moment of my life. I'll look back on this when I'm older and think, we've just beaten Barcelona in the Champions League. There's nothing better is there?"

The striker stated that he had never heard anything like the fans at Celtic Park, insisting that they are the best in the world.

"They're the 12th man obviously, and I said on the bench to the boys I've never heard anything like it. The place was rocking from start to finish," he said. "The fans were the best in the world, they just kept singing and singing."

Victor Wanyama got the other goal for the hosts, nodding home in the first half to open the scoring, and said that it was an unreal and unbelievable night for the team.

"This is unbelievable," he stated. "Today we have just worked hard, we were good as a team, compact, and we got what we wanted and we are very happy.

"I can't describe it, I am just glad. It is just unreal to beat one of the best teams in the world. It's not easy, it was very tough, but we are very happy.

"It's always good when you're playing against this team to keep the ball, and today we were very good and calm with the ball, and that's what kept us in the game. We were good on the ball, we believed in ourselves. We got our first goal so it was very important, and that gave us energy to go on."

Wanyama also revealed that Neil Lennon's side had been training on set-pieces ahead of the encounter, and insists that the club can make the knockout stages if it just keep playing as it knows it can.

"We have been working hard on set pieces, and we knew we were going to get one. I'm just happy. I'm happy for the team and we did well tonight." he added.

"We just have to keep going. If we keep on going and doing the same we're going to keep getting results and we'll be [in the knockout stages]."

Fraser Forster, meanwhile, praised the squad for their ability to adapt to the injuries they are currently suffering, and for ultimately getting the job done.

He said: "We've got a fantastic squad of players and whoever comes in will do tremendously for us. We really showed in the Nou Camp what we can do and we just couldn't see it through.

"Even with a few injuries, we've got a fantastic squad, everyone was tremendous and everyone played their part. I think we deserved it in the end.

"We possibly [out-nerved them]. We defended really well. We had a good look at them a couple of weeks ago and we knew what we wanted to do. We didn't get it too wrong, and we managed to get the job done today."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chris Myson: Celtic in dreamland as Bhoys become men with breathtaking Barcelona win

This week Celtic is celebrating its 125th anniversary. It has been an illustrious history, but there have not been many victories which will be remembered as fondly as this one.

Yes, the Glasgow giants have won the European Cup before, but Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Barcelona, containing players widely acknowledged as one of the best groups of of all-time, has to rank right alongside the Scottish club's greatest triumphs.

Two weeks ago it looked like Neil Lennon’s side had heartbreakingly missed the opportunity to make its mark against the Camp Nou stars when the team was pegged back after taking an early lead and conceded a last-gasp winning goal to Jordi Alba.

On Wednesday night though, the tables were turned. This time, Alba was on the losing end of a key personal duel when Victor Wanyama powered above him to head home a first-half opener.

It seemed inevitable that the heartbreak of two weeks ago was going to repeat itself as Barca’s magicians continued to dominate possession, hitting the woodwork twice in the opening 45 minutes and forcing the brilliant Fraser Forster into a number of key saves.

After the break the pattern was unchanged but the hosts continued to held firm and with every passing minute the belief began to grow – the impossible dream really could happen.

Then it was ecstasy with seven minutes to go when Xavi failed to deal with a long clearance and youngster Tony Watt ran on to produce a remarkably composed finish past Victor Valdes.

That it was Watt who scored the decisive goal summed up the gulf in class between the two sides and the magnitude of Celtic’s achievement.

The 18-year-old - barely recognized by football fans outside of Scotland - was playing in the Scottish Second Division with Airdrie United just over a year ago, yet he capitalized on a mistake from one of world football’s greats.

Even then the euphoric feeling wasn’t to last for long on an unbelievable evening. Lionel Messi struck in the 91st minute to ensure Celtic fans would be made to suffer right up until the final whistle.

That end to the game finally arrived after an agonizing four minutes of injury time and even the joyous scenes on the pitch were overshadowed by stunning celebrations around the famous Celtic Park stadium.

From Neil Lennon jumping on his exhausted players, to Rod Stewart bursting into tears as he watched from the stands, this is a night nobody connected with Celtic will ever forget.

On a day that started on a sour note when Hearts were issued with a winding up order over an unpaid tax bill, the sensational victory for Celtic summed up the ups and downs of Scottish football.

But there have been few highs that are as sweet as this. Lennon and his players have secured their own place in history and who is to say how far they can now go.

They have beaten Barcelona and no team will fancy a trip to a Glasgow, facing the club’s deafening supporters as well as the brave players on the pitch, if the Hoops are to take their place in the knockout stages.

Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Co. are legends of the game but in the likes of Forster, Wanyama and Watt, Celtic fans have their own heroes.

Man for man, nobody in green and white let themselves down and the plaudits coming their way in the days, months and years ahead will be thoroughly deserved.

Celtic has beaten Barcelona. It is a result that may never sink in properly. The side that has won two of the last four Champions Leagues came and saw but was conquered.

The success must be enjoyed and has to be savoured because even in another 125 years, it will be hard for the Celtic to achieve a feat as great as this again.

 

[charitha chandi]

real madried th kanwa Borussia Dortmund genyantham berune

hmmm

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 3-1 Maribor: Defoe hat trick heroics spare Lloris' blushes

Jermain Defoe hit a hat trick on the day he was omitted from Roy Hodgson’s latest England squad to condemn Maribor to a 3-1 defeat against Tottenham in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Linking up well with Gareth Bale and the impressive Tom Carroll, the striker showed poise and his famed predatory instinct to convert three smart finishes, which were sandwiched around a mix-up between Kyle Naughton and Hugo Lloris to give the visitors a momentary glimmer of hope.Emmanuel Adebayor was handed his first start of the season. The striker partnered Defoe up front, with Lloris, Michael Dawson, Naughton and youngster Tom Carroll the four other changes from the weekend loss to Wigan. Zeljko Filipovic replaced Dejan Mezga in midfield in the only change from the Maribor side which drew 1-1 in Slovenia two weeks ago.

A tame opening to proceedings was intermittently brought to life through the pace and guile of Gareth Bale down the left flank. The winger found space behind right back Martin Milec time and time again, first feeding Adebayor inside the area after a quite brilliant first touch and spin, before whipping another cross that the Togo international and Defoe failed to control under pressure.

The home side did not have to wait long to break the deadlock and, unsurprisingly, it came from the foot of the Welshman. With Maribor continually on the back foot, Milec gives Bale all the time in the world to pick out a cross after deciding against closing him down, and the winger duly found the onrushing Defoe inside the area to side-foot past Jasmin Handanovic.

Spurs didn’t let up after going in front, with Lennon and Walker on the right following Bale’s example and the former skipped past a scattered Maribor defense to find the right back, but Walker’s header was tame.With the game heading towards halftime, and the Slovenians barely having ventured out of their own half, one mistake from the dominant home team and Maribor was level.

Lloris calmly cleared the ball to Naughton, only for the makeshift left back to return the favor and put the goalkeeper under pressure. Robert Beric was able to divert the ball goalwards and pull his side level as the former Lyon man attempted to round the striker.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first and Spurs found themselves back in front after just four minutes when the impressive Carroll threaded a fine through ball into the path of Defoe to convert clinically past Handanovic.

The home side should have doubled the advantage soon after when the dazzling Bale scooped a pass over a static Maribor defense to find Adebayor clear inside the area, only for the striker to send his half-volley the wrong side of the post from 12 yards.

The game’s two best players put matters beyond doubt with just over 10 minutes remaining when Bale was sent raring down the left wing by an inch-perfect through ball to send a low drive into the path of Defoe, who claimed his hat trick.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Partizan 1-3 Inter: Palacio and Guarin send Italians through

Inter recovered from a slow start against Partizan Belgrade to secure a 3-1 win in the Europa League on Thursday and confirm its place in the knockout stages of the tournament.

Andrea Stramaccioni's side failed to hit the heights of its Derby d'Italia scalp over Juventus, and it needed Rodrigo Palacio to step to the plate with two goals midway through the second half, before Fredy Guarin could round off the victory in the latter stages. Nemanja Tomic also netted late on but it proved to be scant consolation for the hosts.

The opening passages saw the hosts looking the better side, as they looked to make home advantage count against the Nerazzurri, but coach Vladimir Vermezovic would have been dispirited to see his side fail to translate its possession into chances.

On the other hand, the energy of Alvaro Pereira initially appeared to be Inter's most threatening outlets, but the team struggled to muster any fluency in its play. However, it soon began to take control of the tie.

Inter's improvement could have been halted by a surprise Partizan goal straight after the interval but Samir Handanovic was on red alert to pull off an instinctive stop from Juan Jesus' botched clearance on the end of a Serbian cross.

Yet the Italians used the scare as motivation for a subsequent goal rush. Moments later, Guarin played his way into the box and rolled a low ball across goal for Palacio to finish with a simple tap-in.

Milan Smjlancic then tried his best to put Partizan back on level terms, but Handanovic again came to the rescue, extending an arm to prevent the former Espanyol man from striking home the equalizer. Matias Silvestre then made a last-ditch intervention to deny the midfielder shortly after.

Guarin and Palacio then combined once more to great effect, with the Argentine getting on the end of the ex-Porto star's pass to make it 2-0. Guarin then reverted roles, this time finishing Antonio Cassano's through ball with aplomb to complete the rout.

And despite Nemanja Tomic's best efforts in injury time, grabbing the match's fourth goal, it did not deter the Nerazzurri from attaining a club-record 10th straight away victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Anzhi Makhachkala 1-0 Liverpool: Traore on target as Russians leapfrog Reds

Liverpool slumped to a closely-fought 1-0 defeat in its Europa League encounter away at Anzhi Makhachkala in the Stadion Lokomotiv on Thursday night.

The home side took a barely deserved lead in the 45th minute when Lacina Traore dinked the ball over his head and past his marker Sebastian Coates before calmly looping his effort over the onrushing Brad Jones for the only goal of the game.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers used the trip to Russia as a chance to rotate his squad, with only Jones and Andre Wisdom surviving from the 1-1 draw against Newcastle.

This meant Joe Cole was handed a rare start, while Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Jonjo Shelvey all returned to the side, with youngster Connor Coady handed his first competitive start by the club and Jon Flanagan and Adam Morgan coming into the side.

Anzhi Makhachkala boss Guus Hiddink kept faith with a first XI which included the familiar names of Samuel Eto'o, Yuri Zhirkov and giant striker Traore.

After a bright start by the visiting side, restricting Anzhi's movement, Liverpool fashioned its first opening in the 23rd minute when Morgan played in Henderson in behind the back four, but instead of electing to shoot, the England international tried to play it across the box and Joao Carlos got back in time to intercept and clear.

The game burst to life in the 35th minute, though, when Zhirkov broke away from Wisdom down the right before finding Eto'o inside the area, where he brought a stunning save out of Jones high to his right to keep the scores level.

Anzhi didn't have to wait much longer to take the lead and it came right on the stroke of halftime when Traore flicked the ball over Coates before running onto it and lobbing Jones for a superbly well-taken goal.

The second period followed a similar pattern to the first, with Liverpool sitting deep and looking to break on the counter, but Anzhi almost extended the lead just before the hour mark, with Traore driving just past the post from well outside the area with a powerful effort on his left foot.

The club missed a golden opportunity to grab another in the 75th minute when Traore nodded a fantastic ball in from the left by Tagirbekov straight at Jones, when it looked easier to score than find the goalkeeper.

This prompted an instant response from Liverpool, when Gabulov spilled a vicious strike from Suso from long range before doing better with Cole's follow-up effort when the midfielder tried to dink it over.

With the game becoming increasingly open, Traore missed another excellent chance shortly afterwards after being played through one-on-one by a long ball over the top, but his arrowed shot just failed to find the bottom far corner.

Despite Liverpool trying its best to muster some sort of late attack, though, Anzhi was able to hold on comfortably for the win against an inexperienced side lacking ideas in the final third.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Matthaus: Xavi or Iniesta deserve Ballon d'Or

Former Germany international and one-time New York/New Jersey Metrostars player Lothar Matthaus thinks that either Xavi or Andres Iniesta deserves to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The latter two are by many seen as the favorites to win the prestigious individual award following their impressive goalscoring exploits in 2012. Matthaus, though, believes neither of the two has done enough with his respective national side to deserve the award.

"In my opinion there are currently several exceptional footballers who could justifiably win the title, but I think a Spaniard should win the FIFA Ballon d'Or," Matthaus told the FIFA website. "My favorites are Xavi and Iniesta. Maybe they don’t stand out as much as Ronaldo and Messi, because they don’t score as often, but they’ve won one trophy after another for club and country.

"They’re the heartbeat in both teams [Barcelona and Spain] and are always pulling the strings on the pitch, as they impressively demonstrated at Euro 2012. Of course, last year Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo amazed us all with their clubs, setting unbelievable records with the amount of goals they scored. However, they couldn’t repeat that kind of form at international level."

Argentina attacker Messi won the last Ballon d'Or, ahead of Real Madrid's Ronaldo and Blaugrana vice-captain Xavi.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Osman, Sterling & Wilshere named in England squad for Sweden friendly

England manager Roy Hodgson has announced his squad for the Three Lions’ friendly with Sweden next Wednesday with a recall for Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere following his return from injury.Wilshere has not featured for his country for more than a year, following a long spell on the sidelines with ankle and knee injuries, but he returned to action for Arsenal last month.There is also a surprise inclusion with Everton's Leon Osman receiving his first England call-up at the age of 31.Elsewhere, Liverpool duo Raheem Sterling and Jonjo Shelvey have been rewarded for their fine form this season, while captain Steven Gerrard is expected to win his 100th cap on Wednesday. Ashley Cole misses the chance to win his 100th cap due to injury, but Chelsea teammate Daniel Sturridge features as one of three forwards alongside Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck.

The squad is due to meet in Manchester on Sunday before travelling to Sweden for the game that will mark the official opening of the new Friends Arena in Stockholm. Here is the full England squad for the friendly:
Goalkeepers
Fraser Forster (Celtic), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).

Defenders
Leighton Baines (Everton), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders
Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Leon Osman (Everton), Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

Forwards
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United).

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Estiarte coy on Guardiola-AC Milan link

Manuel Estiarte has refused to comment on whether he met with AC Milan representatives earlier this week to discuss the future of Pep Guardiola.


The 51-year-old Estiarte worked as head of external relations at Barcelona during Guaridola's spell in charge of the Catalans, and he has a close relationship with the former Spain international. A report in Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport this week suggested that AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has met with Estiarte and Guardiola's brother Pere to talk about the ex-Barca coach's plans for the future, but Estiarte has remained coy on whether the meeting took place.

"Did I speak with Milan about Guardiola? It's not up to me to answer that question," Estiarte at the World Business Forum.

Milan released an official statement on Tuesday evening to deny the meeting, but rumors about the Rossoneri's interest in Guardiola continue to surface.

Estiarte also took the time to respond to Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti's recent claims that Barcelona is a boring team.

"I admire Moratti, and I was surprised that he said something like that," Estiarte said. "He can say that he doesn't like our style of play, but it's a bit disrespectful to say that Barcelona are boring."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

M'Vila suspended from France national team until June 2014

Yann M'Vila has been suspended from the France national set-up until 2014, the French Football Federation (FFF) has confirmed in a statement.

M'Vila, 22, was disciplined along with Under-21 players Wissam Ben Yedder, Antoine Griezman, Chris Mavinga and Mbaye Niang after they visited a nightclub in between the crucial Euro 2013 qualifying matches against Norway in October.

While the other youngsters have been handed bans lasting until Dec. 31, 2013, rising Stade Rennes star M'Vila has been issued a more severe sanction, preventing him from representing his country at any level until June 30, 2014, leaving his potential participation in the World Cup in Brazil in serious jeopardy. The knockout stage for the World Cup begins two days prior to the end of the ban.Both M'Vila and Mavinga were excluded from the Rennes squad for their Ligue 1 fixture with Montpellier in the aftermath of the incident,with club president Pierre Dreossi accusing the pair of displaying "a lack of respect for football, the team and Rennes."http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/2378...-suspended-mvila-and-mavinga-lack-respect-forThe quintet were seen visiting the club in Paris on the eve of the France U21 side's qualifiying clash with Norway, which Les Bleus ultimately lost 5-3 to end their hopes of qualification for the European championship finals next year.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo: My personality has cost me

Cristiano Ronaldo believes the way people perceive his personality has meant he has become disliked by supporters.http://www.goal.com/en-us/people/argentina/8012/lionel-messi

The forward is often portrayed as arrogant by onlookers and the Portugal captain thinks his reputation often precedes him.

"I don't want to cry about it, but sometimes I think yes," he told CNN when asked whether his image had cost him in the past. "It's a question to which I never give the 100 percent right answer, because sometimes I really don't know. I don't think it's allowed for people to change my personality.

"Maybe sometimes, I agree that I have a bad image on the pitch because I'm too serious."
His competitive streak helped lead Los Blancos to the Liga title last season and he admits his thirst for success even creeps into his personal life."If you really know me, if you are my friend and I leave you inside my house and you share the day with me, you will know I hate to lose," he added.

"If I am in the swimming pool with my girlfriend sometimes we like to have a race. Sometimes you have to give her an opportunity to be happy, but I win because I don't like to lose."I'm a competitive man and sometimes people interpret that in a different way, which is a pain on me because I don't like it, but I have to live."

The former Manchester United attacker also hit back at critics who have labelled him over-confident."People who call me arrogant, I'm interested, not with all of them, but most of them," Ronaldo stated.

"One day I would like to sit with them and have a chat to see in which way they think I'm arrogant, because I think they need to sit with me to know who the real Cristiano is."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi's newborn son made Newell's Old Boys official supporter

Lionel Messi's newborn born son, Thiago, has been made a member of Newell's Old Boys' supporters club after an agreement was reached between the club and Messi's father Jorge.


The baby, who was born on Nov. 2, has been issued with an official membership card by the club where the Barcelona star played as a youngster before moving to Spain and entering the famed La Masia academy en route to becoming a world superstar.

Club officials will travel to Europe with the official documentation for their newest member, while a replica kit will also be delivered, which is adorned with the child's name and the No. 10, which is the number that the Argentina captain has donned for both club and country.

Thiago has been given the membership ID number 288152-1by the Rosario-based club, whose other former players include Gabriel Batistuta and Gabriel Heinze.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stoke City boss Pulis urges attacking improvement

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis admits that the Premier League club needs to improve in the final third of the field if it is to climb up the table.

"The stats are very encouraging, apart from in the final third. That's where we've got to improve,” Pulis told reporters. "You never take your foot off the pedal in this division. We could and should have scored more goals in the games so far.

The Potters, who employ Americans Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu, have only managed eight goals in 10 league games this year, leaving them 15th in the league table, and Pulis wants to see more from his attackers in their home game against strugglers QPR and beyond.

"Charlie Adam's seeing plenty of the ball. If there's a criticism of him, we'd want more end product in the final third. You need to win games - that's how you get your confidence. The players have trained really well this week and they're keen. Every game you play, whether in the top division or the bottom division, is a pressure game.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gourcuff returns to France squad to face Italy, but Benzema misses out

Yoann Gourcuff has been called up to the France squad for the friendly match against Italy next week.


The oft-hurt Lyon midfielder has featured in the last few matches for his club after struggling with injuries in the early part of the campaign, and he has been rewarded with a recall to Didier Deschamp's side for the game in Parma.Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema misses out due to injury, and Newcastle midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa misses out as well, as he yet to force his way back into Deschamps' plans following his disciplinary problems at Euro 2012.

Veteran midfielder Steed Malbranque also misses out on a place, despite recent reports suggesting he could earn a surprise call-up to the squad. France will travel to Italy to take on the Euro 2012 finalists on Nov. 14. Here is the full France squad:

Goalkeepers: Mickael Landreau (Lille), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Olympique Marseille)

Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Christophe Jallet (Paris Saint-Germain), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Adil Rami (Valencia), Mamadou Sakho (Paris Saint-Germain), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Montpellier)

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Etienne Capoue (Toulouse), Yoann Gourcuff (Olympique Lyon), Maxime Gonalons (Olympique Lyon), Blaise Matuidi (Paris St Germain), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique Marseille)

Forwards: Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Bafetimbi Gomis (Olympique Lyon), Jeremy Menez (Paris Saint-Germain), Dimitri Payet (Lille), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Xavi: We must move on from Celtic defeat

Xavi says Barcelona must move on from the 2-1 defeat at Celtic and concentrate on Spartak Moscow without dwelling on the surprise result.



The Blaugrana were beaten by the Scottish champions at Celtic Park on Wednesday night, and the Spain international believes they must get the loss out of their system and focus on their trip to Russia on Nov. 20.

“The important game now is when we go to Moscow,” Xavi told reporters. “You have to be top of the group. We missed the opportunity to do that [against Celtic], but we depend on ourselves. We have to go and seek victory in the two remaining games.”

Following the clash with Spartak, Tito Vilanova’s side hosts Benfica at Camp Nou on Dec. 5. Despite the defeat in Scotland, Barcelona remains atop the Group G table with nine points, two more than Celtic, five clear of Benfica and six ahead of Spartak.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ramos reveals he is playing through pain barrier for Real Madrid

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has admitted that he is being plagued by physical problems, but he is playing through the pain barrier to help out a first team that is already lacking fit defenders.


Fellow Los Blancos fullbacks Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao are still unavailable due to injury, while Alvaro Arbeloa only recently returned to match action again after a spell on the sidelines. Ramos insists he has opted to play on despite a muscle injury, as he does not want to let his teammates down.

"It's true that I don't feel 100 percent, and that I'm not fully fit because of muscular problems," Ramos told Marca. "Now isn't the time to stop though, because we have injuries to key players in defense. We have to be there as a team."

The 26-year-old Ramos has made 15 appearances for Madrid so far this season.

 

[panchaz]

Celtic 2-1 Barcelona: Wanyama and Watt on target in historic Bhoys victory

Celtic clinched a famous and shock 2-1 victory over Barcelona at Parkhead on Wednesday night courtesy of a goal in each half to hand the Catalan giants their first Champions League group stage defeat in three years.

The hosts took a shock lead in the first half through a Victor Wanyama header after a beautifully curled in Charlie Mulgrew corner, getting the better of left back Jordi Alba in the air to nod home.

Despite its pressure throughout, it was Celtic that grabbed that crucial second goal late in the second half with forward Tony Watt latching on to the long ball, outpacing Javier Mascherano before coolly slotting home into the far corner.

Barcelona managed to grab a late goal back through Lionel Messi after Fraser Forster turned away a Pedro strike from close range, before the Argentina international followed up to lash home.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon made four changes to the team that drew with Dundee United in the club's last outing, drafting in Efe Ambrose, Mikael Lustig, Miku and Georgios Samaras into the side for Emilio Izaguirre, Tony Watt, Thomas Rogne and Scott Brown. Striker Gary Hooper missed out altogether after failing to recover from a hamstring injury.

Barcelona boss Tito Vilanova also made four changes to the side that beat Celta Vigo over the weekend, with Daniel Alves, Marc Bartra, Alex Song and Alexis Sanchez coming into the side for Adriano, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and David Villa.

In a cagey opening, the visitors struggled to create anything of note and Celtic took the lead in the 20th minute through a Wanyama header at the back post after an excellent in-swinging Mulgrew corner from the right, beating fullback Alba in the air.

This prompted a response from Barcelona and Messi struck the bar from just inside the area shortly afterwards after a period of sustained pressure in the final third, only to see it fly over the bar on its way, while Alexis struck the foot of the post with a header from an Alves cross 10 minutes before the break.

After halftime, though, the game began to open up more with Barcelona peppering the Celtic area with wave after wave of attack and Alexis brought a terrific save out of Fraser Forster low to his right on the hour mark.

The constant probing and movement of Barcelona saw the Spanish club carve open the defense in the 70th minute and Messi forced another fantastic stop out of Forster after latching on to Alba's cut-back down the left before hitting a sweet strike towards the bottom right corner only to see the goalkeeper claw it away.

With the visitors piling on the pressure, it was Celtic which struck next in the 83rd minute when a long punt down field by Forster was missed by Xavi and Watt was through in on goal past Mascherano before rifling his strike into the bottom left-hand corner to hand his side a two-goal lead.

Barcelona wasn't finished there, though, and grabbed a goal back in the 90th minute through Messi after Forster parried a Pedro shot inside the six-yard box following an intricate, flowing move, leaving the forward to smah home high into the goal.

Nevertheless, despite some nervy moments late on with Barcelona flooding forward, Celtic was able to clinch the historic win in front of its own fans in what will go down as the team's best European result since winning the European Cup final back in 1967 against Inter Milan.

niyamai thawa la liga match deka 3kuth paraduna nam thawath niyamai

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hi Pancha aiya......Kalekin dakke

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Koscielny admits to inconsistent performances for Arsenal

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny admits his performances for the club have been inconsistent so far this season.

The 27-year-old joined up late with the Gunners squad over the summer after representing France at Euro 2012 and struggled with injuries in the early weeks of the campaign.

He has since battled with Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen for a starting spot, and says all of the club's central defenders are spurring each other on.

"It's been hard, of course," he told Arsenal’s official matchday program. "I lost most of preseason because I was away with France, and then I had an injury right at the beginning of the season. It was difficult to come back from that quickly - the season had started, the players were up and running and you need time to get back to the required level.

"I know that I've played some good games and some not so good this season, but I'm working hard to stay fit and well. We have great competition for places at the back with guys like Per, Thomas and Johan [Djourou], and we have a lot of respect for each other. It's healthy for us, and we don't stop trying to improve as individuals and as a unit."

Koscielny has not featured in the Premier League since the 3-1 win against West Ham on October 6, but could face Fulham on Saturday after returning to the starting XI for the midweek draw with Schalke.